In June, Barnes & Noble will take over trade book sales at the University Book Store in Seattle, Wash., the bookstore of the University of Washington, which will continue to manage non-trade book sales, according to KUOW and confirmed by a bookstore spokesperson.
Founded in 1900, the University Book Store is one of the oldest bookstores and was one of the largest college bookstores in the country. At one point it had at least nine locations, some at University of Washington campuses and others in Seattle suburbs and nearby cities that were like general trade bookstores, but with a strong UW section.
In the last decade, the University Book Store closed its branches, including the ones in Bellevue, Tacoma, Mill Creek, and Bothell. The University Book Store is a for-profit corporate trust that benefits University of Washington students, faculty and staff.
In some ways, the move by Barnes & Noble resembles its purchase last year of the Tattered Cover in Denver, Colo. It's also something like the approach taken by B&N College, a separate company. More information about the changes at the University Book Store should be available in the near future.